In a bid to eradicate cybercrime in the African region, the Economic Community of West African States in collaboration with the Council of Europe and INTERPOL has organized the A 5-Day E-Evidence and First Responders Training of Trainers workshop to help deal with the global phenomenon.
The workshop held in Praia, Cabo Verde on 25 – 29 July 2022 was part of the ECOWAS Commission’s framework against Organized Crime: West African Response on Cyber Security and fight against Cybercrime” (OCWAR-C) project
The workshop brought participants from the law enforcement entities to develop the required capacities to ensure efficient investigation and handling of digital evidence to surmount threats, particularly as reliance on information communication technology is more pervasive in society.
Speaking at the event, the representative of the ECOWAS Commission’s Commissioner for Infrastructure, Energy and Digitalization, M.s Folake Olagunju harped on a collaborative approach to guarantee the security of ECOWAS cyberspace, thus urging participants to share their national perspectives and experiences as it is an opportunity to build bridges and lay the foundation for cooperation with regards to future partnerships.
Meanwhile, The EU deputy head of delegation to Cabo Verde, M.r Ignacio Sobrino Castello stresses that the objectives of the OCWAR-C project are to strengthen the cyberspace of member countries adding that the overall aim is to enhance both regional and international cooperation to combat cybercrime and Digital Economy in general.
Also, the Advisor of the Cabo Verde Secretary of State for Digital Economy, M.r Joel Almeida, expressed its government commitment to providing actionable policies that are in line with the ECOWAS Regional Cyber strategy adopted in 2021.
He, therefore, commended the organization for the forthcoming first ECOWAS Regional Hacker Lab Challenge scheduled to hold from 10 – 12 October 2022 adding that it’s a great opportunity aimed at boosting the young cyber security workforce in the region.
According to a statement signed by the ECOWAS communication’s officer, Salett Nogueira Tuesday August 2, 2022, “the in-person training workshop which consisted of mentoring and understanding the contents and principles on e-evidence collection for first responders, participants partook in a three-week small private online course to equip them with the knowledge and skills to design and evaluate learner-centered training following the INTERPOL training standards.
The one-week training program strengthened the capacity of representatives from law enforcement entities from Cabo Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
The OCWAR-C project is funded by the European Union and the objectives are to improve resilience and robustness of information infrastructure in the Member States; increase capacities of relevant stakeholders of Member States in charge of the fight against cybercrime.” The statement ended.
